Dream's of the Kaiba's
by jersey.roses
Summary: Have you ever had a dream of a loved one, one where you talked and embraced each other? What would you say if I told you that it was real? Read how Seto and Mokuba Kaiba's dreams lead to a whole new perspective on what it means to truly be loved, and how it changes their lives... possibly for the better.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Work

It is no surprise that we find the pristine and overachiever Seto Kaiba at the office working late. Well, 3 am may be a bit over doing it, but when you are the C.E.O of Kaiba do what you must in order to remain number one. Seto was half done through the giant pile of paperwork on his desk when he started to unknowingly doze off. Unbeknownst to him, a visitor had entered his office. They examined him, careful to not startle him.

"Seto," a voice whispered.

"Mm," was all he could manage, and took a deep sigh.

The visitor chuckled warmly, and gently tapped Seto on the shoulder causing him to shoot up in his seat. Seto's nerves were soon relieved when he realized who it was.

"haha, sorry," they apologized

"What are you doing here?" Seto asked as he rubbed his tired eyes

"I could ask you the same thing," the other person retorted

"Kisara, go home it's late," he ordered as he turned back to his work

"I know, and even C.E. O's need their sleep," she tried to reason with him. This game has been going on for a few months now, Kisara coming to Kaiba Corp. And trying to convince Seto to come home and sleep. The conflict reached many levels from his relationship with Mokuba, being even more short than usual, to taking a serious toll on their own relationship and sex life.

"No point, I'll have to be up in 2 hours anyway," he yawned.

Kisara made her way to behind Seto's chair, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lovingly kissed from his neck to his jaw, pleading for him to give in.

"Kisara, please-"

"Seto, your work can wait until later sweetness. I will even help you if that is what it takes," She persuaded.

Seto stared back into her piercing blue eyes for a moment and thought to himself. He knew she would not stop, or quit until he gave in. After what felt like an eternity for both of them, Seto sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. Hugging him tightly Kisara knew she had won her way yet again. Kisara lead Seto by the hand out his office and drove home. Once home, Kisara waited until she was positive he was asleep and changed his alarm from 5 am to 9 am, " _He needs to get more sleep_ ," she thought to herself. Looking over him, sleeping so peacefully she knew what hell would result from her tampering. However, to her it was all worth it. Seto's health was more important to her than any amount of money in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two:Seto's Dream

Seto was sitting on a dark green couch with his neighbor who was watching him. His parents had both left, but where to he did not know. Shortly after wondering what his parents were talking about earlier for the hundredth time they had finally made their return home, and in high spirits too.

"OOOh, congratulations," the neighbor cheered, "How wonderful."

"Thank you, we're so excited," his mother replied.

And with that the neighbor left, and his parents made their way towards him. Both parents sat before him on the coffee table. Seto sat there in both confusion and disbelief. It had been years since he had even seen a photo of his mom and dad, and here he is dreaming of them right before his very eyes...

"Seto, your mother and I have some big news," his father beamed.

Seto continued staring in confusion. His mother starred at his father with a twinkle in her gray-purple eye, and then looked at Seto, "honey, how would you like to be a big brother?

He then remembered, he understood what was happening. This was one of the many days that would change his life forever, "So much!" Seto shouted as he hugged his parents.

"Haha I am so glad," his mother mikoto laughed, "one more thing though."

Seto starred back his mother, trying to remember her face, to take in every detail.

"You have to take care of each other," she continued, "stay close, and take care of each other...take care of each other.."

His mother's words echoed as his dream faded, and reality soon began.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Day Off

"No! Mom, wait!" Seto woke in a panic. Breathing heavily, he scanned his bedroom and soon realized it was a dream and after a few moments, began to gather himself.

Now recollected from his bizarre dream, Seto was now annoyed with his alarm clock going off, and was filled with rage when he saw he how late he was for work. Hastily, he threw the covers off and started to get dressed while at the same time in a fit of rage began cursing under his breath and shouting out loud.

"I can't believe this, I am so behind, DAMMIT!" Seto said through gritted teeth, "KISARA, where are you? KIS-"

"Good mo-"

"Why did you change my alarm clock, have you any idea how much work I have today?" He yelled.

Kisara knew this would happen, and as result was unphased by his outburst towards her, "You cannot continue doing this to yourself Seto," she continued, "you work hard enough, and such long ho-" Seto cut her off again.

"Well thanks to your _tampering_ w/ my schedule I am going to be so far behind," Seto began to rant, "I had important meetings, paperwork, practice runs. Ugh, I better go."

As Seto made his way passed Kisara she managed to stop him, "Seto!" She and Seto looked at each other in shock at her out of character action, "Would you please stop and listen, I have taken care of everything." She explained.

Seto's eyes widened w/w he just heard, but continued in disbelief.

"Your meeting with Hoshigaki Enterprises was canceled, the paperwork you have to do can be done in an hour between the 2 of us together, and I have spoken with your teams. I told them they will be on their own today, and not to call unless absolutely necessary." She finished with a confident smirk.

Seto turned away from her to process her explanation. Frustrated, Seto ran his fingers his messy brown hair that he forgot to comb. Turning back to her he asked,"why was the meeting canceled?"

"Family emergency," Seto looked at her questionably, but did not press it.

"What about the paperwork?" He said sounding a little less irritated

"Sent Roland to get them 15 minutes ago."

Kisara went up to Seto and ran her hands over his firm chiseled chest as she pleaded with him, "Seto, please just for today, please just relax, enjoy a day off for once – you deserve one."

Maybe it was her angelic voice that got to him, or maybe it was that she had a valid point. Seto had been working himself ragged the last year, and to be honest could not even remember the last time he slept in passed 6am. Looking back into Kisara's pale blue eyes, he sighed and kissed her on the forehead. Seto smirked with confidence that his girlfriend/receptionist made all the right decisions.

"Besides, you can spend time with Mokuba," Kisara sang, "I think he's having breakfast right now."

And that was the winning ticket that won Seto completely over. Kisara exited the master bedroom while Seto groomed himself before breakfast. Making her way through the halls of the mansion Kisara stopped to admire a portrait of Mokuba and Seto. _It has been so long since they have spent any quality time together. At least my plan worked!_ She thought to herself as a smile crept on her face.

"Hey Kisara," she was pulled out of her thoughts when greeted by Mokuba.

"Mokuba, good morning," she cheered.

"What are you doing here so early, Seto's at work?" He said half unsure of himself

"I have convinced your brother to take the day off," she replied.

Mokuba snorted, "hehe, okay how did you do that?" The teen questioned.

"Oh, I have my ways," she said with a wink.

"Always being so mysterious, you never fail to amaze me, Kisara," Mokuba said sarcastically, "anyway let's go get some breakfast."

The two made their way down the hall to the dining room in silence. Kisara eyed Mokuba secretly and thought about how much he has changed in the 8 years she has known him. Mokuba's once unruly long hair now barely reaches his shoulders, he's almost as tall as Seto, and even has his own band, Polymerization, which are a pretty good punk rock band. Nowadays, Mokuba mostly wore acid wash jeans and plain t-shirts. Since Seto was always working he spent his time working on his car, band and every now and then at Kaiba Corp. Even though he still has other things going on in his life, he still _is_ the V.P. of Kaiba Corp. after all.

….

After a few minutes Seto joined the others for bacon and eggs. Kisara and Mokuba were talking about new song ideas and sound equipment, but Seto remained silent. Reflecting on his dream earlier that morning Seto did not understand it at all, _stay close, take care of each other_ , Seto remembered that day like it was yesterday, and knew beyond a shadow of doubt that his mother had never said those words, or anything of the kind.

"So Seto, what do you think?" Mokuba asked.

"hmm, sorry what?" Seto was in such deep though he wasn't paying any attention to the current conversation taking place.

Mokuba rolled his eyes,"Do you think I should get more pedals and stuff for my guitars?"

"oh, it couldn't hurt," he said nonchalantly.

"Cool, would you want to check it out with me?

Seto looked at his younger brother, then his girlfriend who nodded, "Sure, but I have to take care of some paperwork first, and then make a quick phone call."

"Sweetness, the tech teams can survive _one-day_ w/o you, Kisara reminded him.

"It will only take a minute," he said as he exited the room. Seto made sure he was well out of ear shot before making the call.

"Hello, Dr. Takahata?"

….

"Well Mr. Kaiba, it seems as though your subconscious is reminding you of what you already know, that being you are not spending any time recently with your brother," the therapist explained.

"Okay? How do explain my mother being in my dream?

"Your mind was using her image to represent what you desire, to get the message across."

"But she never said those words, I remember that day perfectly!"

"Well there is always another explanation."

"Then spit it out, I don't have all day!" Seto said a little too loud.

"There is a possibility that your mother's soul is trying to reach you from beyond the grave." he explained

There was a long pause. Seto had refrain from yelling at Takahata's bizarre suggestion,"How the hell is that possible, she's been gone for more than 10 years."

"Mr. Kaiba, nothing is impossible, if a spirit feels the need to get a message across they will make it happen. However, if you choose to ignore it then logically speaking you are just missing spending time with your brother. Catch up with him, and if anything, else occurs you have my number." He answered.

Seto let out a frustrated huff and hung up without saying another word to his therapist. After a moment of trying to understand what Dr. Takahata had analyzed the meaning of his dream made his way back to the dining room to a worried Mokuba and Kisara.

"Everything going okay, bro?

"Yes, why do you ask?

"We heard some commotion."

"Oh, that. The tech team forgot to order some parts for the new simulator is all." He said without batting an eyelash.

"Oh, is that all? Well in that case, let's get started on the paperwork before it gets too late," Seto followed Kisara to his office where the pile of papers laid waiting for him. The paperwork was finished within the hour, just as Kisara said. Unfortunately, Kisara had her own plans for the day which included paying her rent and meeting her mom for lunch. So, the day was just Mokuba and Seto. Mokuba got a few new pedals for his Gibson and a new amp. Afterwards, the brothers went out for steaks and went home to break in the newly bought equipment. Seto admired his younger brother's skills and felt full of pride towards him. In the middle of Mokuba's playing Seto's eyes began to wander, _when did he create this studio, and when did he get so good?_ he thought to himself as his brother began to enthusiastically wail on his guitar while whipping his black hair around which almost made Seto laugh, _almost._

 _"_ Wow, that is quite impressive," Seto finally spoke.

"haha thanks," Mokuba said while he rubbed the back of his head.

"How long have you been playing, now?" Seto asked afraid that his question would lead to a confrontation.

"5 years." Mokuba answered flatly as he placed his guitar back on the rack.

 _5 years, has it really been that long?_

The day ended with Seto watching Mokuba and his band practice, followed by a movie with just the two of them. Long after the movie had ended he awoke to find that he and Mokuba had fallen asleep in their parlor, but couldn't remember when exactly they both fell asleep. Checking the time, 1 a.m.; Seto didn't want to wake Mokuba and he was too heavy for Seto to carry now so, instead he grabbed a blanket and placed it over Mokuba. This was the first time in a long time that Seto had actually gone to sleep without being stressed and early too.

Seto stripped down to his boxers and a white t-shirt that was under his blue dress shirt and pulled another blanket over himself, "good night, mokie," he whispered.

Mokuba mumbled something, but Seto was almost positive he had said, "good night big brother."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Rock n' roll kind of dreams.

Mokuba was doing another sound check for the third time, he could hear the crowd cheering for Polymerization, and the suspense was starting to get to him. Taking in a deep breath he looked at all his bandmates and letting his eyes linger a little longer on his singer, Akiko. The night breeze caused her jet-black hair to flow so beautifully with it, and when she noticed Mokuba she blushed and said, "You ready for this, guys?"

"Yeah let's do it!" They all shouted in unison. The curtain began to rise, and the screams became even louder. Akiko smiled warmly at the rest of the band and then addressed the crowd, "HEEEY TOKYO, YA READY TO HAVE SOME FUN TONIGHT?"

The crowd's response was loud whoos and yeahs, "HAHA, that's what I thought," Akiko replied. A slow tapping on the drum cymbal began, followed by a guitar melody, and then Akiko sang out -

"Oooh, can't believe I'm here

Seeing you breaks my heart

You're a man now, it brings me to tears

At how much tiiime we've been apart,"

Akiko sang magnificently, but Mokuba became perplexed when he heard the lyrics she was singing. _When did we write this?_ He thought to himself. Right then came Mokuba's solo, and when he looked out into the crowd the strangest thing occurred, he couldn't make out any of the faces in the audience, none. Except for one face. A man not too far from the stage had dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and what appeared to be a 5 o'clock shadow coming in. If he didn't know any better, mokuba would say it was Seto, but he wasn't seto, maybe an older version of him. The man even dressed a bit like him too, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up the elbows, and black dress pants.

After the show, the band was hanging out backstage, celebrating the great turn out. Mokuba however, was a bit distracted and decided to leave. To his dismay, he was caught off guard by Akiko, "That was amazing," she praised Mokuba with a hug.

Not sure what to do Mokuba blushed a rosey red and thanked her. After a minute of talking Mokuba excused himself and made his way to the empty halls of the building. Running around as if his life depended on it, Mokuba set out on a mission to find the mystery man that he saw earlier, "I have to find him, he has to still be here," he breathed. There was just something about the man that felt familiar, and Mokuba had to find out why.

Turning a sharp corner Mokuba finally came faced to face with the mystery man. What felt like an eternity to mokuba was in actuality, maybe a minute or two. Out of breath and paralyzed in placed, the other man slowly approached the young teen until they were only a few feet apart. The man's tired sunken eyes beamed with what could only be pride and admiration toward Mokuba.

"You've grown so much – Mokie," the man finally spoke.

Baffled, Mokuba starred at him, "No one has called me that in years," he mumbled.

"I know," he spoke softly, "I don't have much time, so, before I go, I just want to you to know to keep working hard, don't lose sight of what is most important, and maybe play some chess every now and then," he chuckled.

Mokuba was overwhelmed with emotion. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. As the man smiled and turned around Mokuba took a leap of faith, "Wait, DAD?" He yelled.

The man turned around once more and flashed a smirk, the very same smirk that Seto uses, and replied, "I'll see you again, soon."

Distraught Mokuba tried to chase after him, but it was fruitless, the man's appearance began to fade, and so did the dream, "Wait, come back!" he exclaimed with a last stitch effort.


	5. Chapter 5

"DAD?! Don't go!" Mokuba woke up screaming out. Clenching his chest, the younger Kaiba saw he was not in his room, and quickly became embarrassed with the realization that some of the staff members, if not all staff members most likely heard his awakening outburst. Luckily, to his relief no one came into where he was to investigate the reason for his outburst.

After a few minutes of just sitting on the couch thinking, _what a crazy dream that was_ , Mokuba decided to clean up a bit and then to get dressed. In the middle of folding his blanket, the sound of his phone vibrated.

Seeing it was Akiko his face lit up, "Hey, wanna go over song ideas today?"

Mokuba tried to think of something simple, but aloof to text back, "sure, when?" was the best he could come up with.

A minute later his phone vibrated again, "4 o'clock, my place."

"cool."

"Hmm," he pondered, "Seto's already at work, and I don't feel like going to Kaiba corp. myself," Mokuba said to himself.

Instead Mokuba was going to try to investigate the meaning of his dream, and that begins with his past, which meant help from certain others. Mokuba was not above asking help from others, he had done so plenty of times before. However, if the information that Mokuba sought out, or even the fact he was now searching for what could possibly be forever lost reached the public could very well back fire and lead to a catastrophe.

Walking in deep thought he almost bumped into an employee, "Morning, Master Mokuba," Roland raspily spoke

"Good Morning, Roland," Mokuba replied shifting in his feet, "Hey Roland could you do me a favor, please?" he bit his lower lip, second guessing himself.

"Of course, Master Mokuba, what is it that you need?"

"Umm," he hesitated, "Do you think you could find me a picture of my parents – it's, it's for a school project," Mokuba tried not to sound suspicious.

The old security guard looked at him quizzically then smiled warmly, "Certainly sir, I'll begin searching right away.

Mokuba thanked him, and when he knew Roland was far away enough breathed a huge sigh of relief. Entering his room, Mokuba made his way to his closet, and pondered what to wear. Seeing that his wardrobe was divided between business suits, and jeans of different styles and graphic tees he decided that jeans and a Shinedown shirt will do. Glancing in the mirror, Mokuba noticed that his hair resembled a bird's nest and desperately needed to be brushed.

After getting dressed he exited his room and started walking towards the dining room for breakfast. As he approached the staircase, he ran into Seto.

"Seto, what are you still doing here," he inquired.

"Forgot my laptop and some notes," Seto voicing his annoyance.

Walking together down the grand red-carpet stairs, Mokuba debated if he should bring something up to his brother. Seto _was_ the only person who could truly answer his questions best. As Seto reached for the front door handle, Mokuba spoke up, "Umm Seto?" His nervousness showing.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what dad looked like?"

"What do you mean, there are portraits of him all over the mansion," he nearly growled.

"No, not that old geezer," he explained, "I mean _dad._ "

Seto glared down at him with high suspicion, his height quite intimidating, "Where is this coming from?"

"Well, there's so many portraits of Gozoburo, and we each have a picture of each other, so I thought it would be nice to have something of him," he averted his gaze.

Seto, knowing his younger brother like the back of his hand knew better than to believe that. Unfortunately, he was short on time, and had to run back to work. Looking at his watch in anger he said, "we'll talk about this later, I can't be late for this meeting," and with that he was gone.

Mokuba asked one of the maids to bring his breakfast to his room. Once there, he dragged himself to his bed and lazily fell back on it, spread eagle. It would be a while until he would meet Akiko so he tried to occupy his time with writing some music with the expectation that she will be able to write some lyrics to fit it. Breakfast was devoured with much haste and gusto. It took some time to create a catchy melody, but after about 2 hours of playing, Mokuba's efforts payed off with a great sounding melody, now all he needed were the lyrics to accompany it. Thankfully, lyrics were where Akiko shined.

….

Stepping out of his '78 El Camino, Mokuba secured the chain on his jeans, and made his way to the bed of the car, "Guitar, amp, sheet music, yep that's everything," he announced.

Carefully carrying his case and amp in hand he noticed as he approached the front door of Akiko's place that his heart began to pick up a little. Just as he was about to knock, the front door swung open to reveal a very excited Akiko, "Hey Moku-," Akiko stopped mid-sentence once she saw the look on his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" Akiko asked sounding concerned.

Mokuba's heart raced even faster, not knowing what she meant, "Uh yeah, why?"

"You're all pale, and your cheeks are red!" she informed her bandmate.

Thinking fast Mokuba came up with a logical excuse, "Oh that, well it _is_ warm out today, and carrying all of this is kinda heavy," he gestured towards the amp and guitar case in both hands.

Not thinking twice about it, Akiko accepted his explanation with a chuckle and pulled him inside, "Okay, let's get started," she cheered.

While being guided by the hand through his friend's house, Mokuba did his best to hide his blush under his somewhat long bangs, _Man I don't know how much longer I can do this_ , he thought as they entered the basement. Akiko's basement was not your average basement – yes it had a washer and dryer. Moreover, the basement was finished which included: carpeting, central air, and of course plenty of seating.

Akiko lazily plopped down into a furry zebra styled bean bag chair and made herself comfortable while Mokuba set up his guitar to his amp. The melody he wrote was played; it was slow, and soft much different from their alternative rock methods which consequently caused Akiko to furrow her brow, but not in disgust at the sudden change of pace. Mokuba placed his guitar down to discuss with Akiko. As he sat down, Akiko smiled at him warmly, "So, what do you think?" he queried.

"That was great, how long have you been work on that?" Akiko praised

"Came up with it this afternoon, you think you can write anything to it?" Mokuba smirked.

Akiko snorted at Mokuba's cockiness, and playfully smacked his arm, "Yeah, but this isn't our usual sound, so it may be a challenge."

…2 hours later…

"At night I lay awake, praying for my soul to take…no, no.." Akiko muttered, "he watches over us, even in death he guides us..UGH!" Akiko threw her notebook across the room in frustration, "Let me hear the melody again."

"Pfft, I've be replaying it for the last 2 hours," Mokuba retorted.

"Okay smart guy then you think of something," Akiko rasped followed by her childishly sticking her tongue out.

Mokuba dragged himself across the gray carpet, picked up the notebook, and thought very hard for a moment. The young rocker was instantly struck with inspiration, and decided to take a risk. Jotting down a few words soon turned nothing into something, which caught Akiko's curiosity. Making her way sneakily behind Mokuba, Akiko attempted to catch a glimpse at what he was working so diligently on.

"C'mon let me see!" Akiko whined.

"Not until I'm done," he said shoeing her away while not looking up from the page.

"Well, hurry up, you-"

"DONE!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Mokuba handed the notebook over with a very confident smirk and watched as Akiko's expression went from excitement to a mix of a surprise frown, near tears.

"How did you come up with this?" she questioned.

Stunned from her reaction, Mokuba became embarrassed, "Oh uh, it just came to me in a dream," he explained as he took her into a side hug.

"It's really good," Akiko spoke as she returned the hug.

The two teens practiced the song for the next hour and half. The next few steps would have to wait until the entire band was together. Afterwards, Akiko and Mokuba watched a movie, _IT_ , which caused Akiko hold onto Mokuba for dear life, but he didn't mind, he rather enjoyed it. By the time the movie was over it was around 10:30pm, and it was then when things became a little awkward. Just as Mokuba was preparing to leave, it dawned on him, _why wasn't the rest of the band here_ _today?_ So, he took it upon himself to ask.

"Oh," Akiko was caught off guard, "Mae couldn't make it and shikaku was at his grandparents," a very faint blush was spreading across her face.

"That's weird neither of them said anything about plans to me," he questioned.

"Mm, yeah, but it's whatever," she said desperately wanting the conversation to be over. Akiko put the DVD away, and tried to distract her thoughts with straightening up a bit.

Mokuba noticed his friend's strange behavior, but being so late would not question it until another time. Akiko walked him to the door, and hugged Mokuba goodbye. As she shut the door and knew no one was around to hear her, Akiko let out a small girlish squeal, "Ugh that was close," leaning against the door she let her dark jet-black hair hang all around her.

A/N: I have the whole song done, but thought this chapter was long enough. If you want to read it, comment below and I'll include it in another page.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six: The Photo

Mokuba swiftly and successfully entered the mansion without any faults. It appeared that Seto was not home yet which worked in Mokuba's favor, or so he thought. Walking down the hall that lead to his room, the sound of someone approaching echoed from the opposite far end. Mokuba cursed under his breath, and hid in a nearby closet. The sound of a woman's laugh could be heard not too far off from inside his hiding spot. It wasn't strange to have Kisara stay over nights now that she and Seto were dating, but Mokuba couldn't take any chances in getting caught.

The sound of laughter soon faded, indicating that Kisara was far away enough for Mokuba to make his exit. Once in his room, Mokuba stripped down to boxers and left his Shinedown shirt on. Unfortunately, as soon as he became comfortable in bed, the sound of footsteps approaching his room were heard.

 _Not now, this can't wait until tomorrow?_ He complained, remembering what his brother mentioned to him earlier that day. Holding his breath, Mokuba prepared himself for the impending lecture that awaited him; the suspense weighing heavy on his chest. Suddenly, the idea of fake sleeping popped into his head. Seto would never wake him up under this guise, unless it was of the upmost importance – in this situation it could go either way, but it was worth a shot.

The footsteps stopped right outside his door, _this is it then_ , he thought, laying perfectly still, and trying make his "fake sleeping," look convincing. However, to his disbelief no one came in, no one knocked, or even voiced their presence. It was as if Seto, or someone was just standing on the other side of the door, but couldn't come to open the door. Just as soon as the footsteps were heard approaching they were heard retreating from their place.

Relieved, yet confused Mokuba tip toed towards his door. With his ear to the door, the teenager waited a full minute before opening the door. Opening the door slowly, Mokuba peered out into the hallway, only to find no one in sight. With his suspicions put aside from no others lurking Mokuba returned to bed, and in a few short minutes fell fast asleep.

…

 _Mokuba was in his room practicing the new song when he noticed that his room had become incredibly cold. The A/C would cool down his room some, but his room had become so cold that his breath was now visible. Laughter was heard outside, it was the same as what he heard earlier, this time he would not let whoever it was, elude him. To investigate, Mokuba exited his room to see what was happening that was so funny. Mokuba walked to east end of the hall and saw no one._

 _"_ _This is too weird, where are maids?" he said out loud. The curtains were not drawn back as they usually are, giving off a dark eerie feel to the house._

 _Walking back, Mokuba went to explore the west end of the hall, and found the source of the laughter. At the end of the hall stood a woman, he had never seen before. The woman was tall with long black wavy hair down to her waist, sadly when questioned about her identity, refused to face Mokuba. In fact, when Mokuba questioned her she ran._

 _"_ _Wait!" he screamed as he chased after her._

 _The woman continued to laugh at the now frustrated teen, and kept her distance during the chase. She lead Mokuba down the maze of many hallways and unexpectedly came to an abrupt stop. Shortly after, Mokuba caught up to her and was not going to let her go without an answer._

 _Panting Mokuba barked, "Enough with the games who are you?"_

 _The woman slowly turned, revealing a beautiful woman of about 30 years old. Her rose colored lips formed another smile as she pointed towards the door. Uncertain of what was to come Mokuba carefully approached her, only to watch her walk straight through a door. Stunned at what he just witnessed, Mokuba blinked a few times in disbelief and then ran up to the door._

 _"_ _What the hell is this!" Mokuba screamed._

 _Mokuba stood in place reeling from the sight of the door. Unsure as to what to do, and no sign of the mystery woman returning, Mokuba walked back to his room turning around every few steps to see if she may be following. As he approached his door he noticed that his surroundings were turning white. Panicking, Mokuba ran faster towards his room. As he opened the door he came face to face with the woman!_

 _"_ _The attic my dear sweet boy," her voice so soft. Her face was a mere 2 inches from Mokuba's. He tried to scream as she caressed his face with a pale icy-cold hand..._

…

"Oof, NO DON'T! OWWWWUH!" Mokuba yelled as he rubbed his temple.

After his outburst, there was a knock at the door, "mm, yeah!" he shouted.

The door opened and in walked Seto who became concerned when he saw his younger brother on the floor, "Are you okay, what happened?" he inquired.

"I fell off the bed in my sleep I guess," Mokuba answered.

"Hm, must have been quite some dream," Seto joked as he helped Mokuba pick himself up.

Mokuba tried to stand up straight as he mumbled, "You have no idea."

"What was that?" he stared at Mokuba questionably.

"Nothing, what time is it?" he replied.

"Eight. Okay listen, I'm going to be home early tonight, and you and I are going to have a talk then," Seto explained sternly.

"Okay, what time so I know when to come home?" Mokuba asked.

"Seven." Seto informed him as he took his leave for work.

When Seto left, Mokuba took a shower and dressed himself afterwards. His dream still wavering as he texted Kisara, but was even more unnerved from her text messages. As it turns out, Kisara was never at the mansion the previous night, but at Kaiba Corp. with Seto until very late. Now filled with paranoia, Mokuba thought carefully of his next move. Should he talk to Seto, or maybe inform Kisara about these strange dreams?

Mokuba instead decided he would wait until later to confront Seto about his recent dreams, and would instead just focus on the current situation at hand – his band. He texted all of his members about getting together, and doing some work on the new song. Everyone replied, and agreed to meet at the studio conveniently set up at the Kaiba mansion.

Mae and Shikaku were the first to arrive and naturally sparked up a conversation with their host/bandmate.

"Akiko texted me on my way here, she said she's going be a late – got held up at work," Mae informed.

"No prob," both boys replied.

"So Shik, how was visiting your grandparents this weekend?" Mokuba asked casually.

"What do you mean?" Shikaku replied perplexed.

"Akiko told me you were visiting your grandparents, and Mae was busy," he explained.

The other two stared at each other in bewilderment, "We weren't busy," they spoke in unison.

"That's so weird of Akiko, why would she lie about that?" Mae wondered.

"What were you two doing?" Shikaku slyly trying to imply something.

"Worked on a new song," Mokuba said sounding annoyed by his friend's interrogations.

"YOU WORKED ON A NEW SONG WITHOUT US!" Mae screeched.

"Mae focus, one situation at a time," Shikaku reprimanded, "Okay so you worked on a song together, _alone,_ what did you do after that?"

"Umm, just watched a movie, then I left when it was over."

Shikaku pondered over the information he was just given, but instead of offering any helpful advice decided it would be funnier if he let his friend squirm over his dilemma.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Mae jumped up, causing her blue and pink hair to bounce.

"No thanks, I rather talk to her myself, it's probably nothing," Mokuba voiced, "and until then please keep this between us."

"DEAL," they all spoke.

As soon as their conversation was over, Akiko walked in all flustered. It was obvious that she was wearing more make up than she usually did, and her hair was done up rather than let down so she can head bang. When questioned by Mae about her appearance Akiko told her she had a date later and didn't want to rush getting ready.

"Ooo you have to tell me everything later!" Mae cooed, which prompted Mokuba to give her the _don't you dare say anything look_ , we all know. Conversely, Mae winked back and zipped her lips, so to speak.

The band worked on writing the drum and bass music to the new song Mokuba wrote. It was also unanimously decided that the name of the song would be called, "I'm Here," and the rest was all practice and working together. Practiced finished at 6, which left Mokuba with an hour left until Seto came home.

In the last few days it had become a habit of Mokuba's to just walk around the mansion aimlessly, just thinking. Roland took noticed and decided to follow the teen. Unbeknownst to him, Mokuba had walked down a strange hallway that he did not recognize, but also felt somewhat familiar. The curtains were not drawn, which made sense since it was now dark, but nevertheless did not help the atmosphere. All of a sudden, Mokuba came to a stop. In front of him the door from his dream, beige, square carvings for design, and locked!

"Do you need any help, master Kaiba?"

"Holy s#*t!" Mokuba yelped grabbing his chest.

The old man chuckled, "I'm sorry sir, but I was beginning to grow concerned about you, as well as I am sorry to tell you that I could not find a photo of your parents. It seems that your aunt and uncle have also passed away and didn't not have any mementos of them."

Dismayed about his parents Mokuba frowned at the news. However, was not swayed over how his great aunt and uncle had died with nothing of his parents. Not caring that is only other family was now gone brought him back to reality, "Could you tell me what is behind this door?"

"The attic sir."

"Why is it locked?"

"Gozoburo's orders, I don't know the specifics sadly,"

"Unlock it." He commanded

"what sir?"

"Unlock it, he didn't want anyone up there and I'm going to find out why," Mokuba demanded.

The old guard followed his orders, and opened the door. Behind the door showed a dark steep staircase. Checking the time, Mokuba saw it was 20 minutes until 7pm, _plenty of time_ , he thought. Roland stood guard just in case Seto came that way. Climbing the 15 steps into the attic Mokuba found himself in a room surrounded by boxes of all shapes and sizes. Finding the light switch, Mokuba began his search for answers. Digging through a dozen boxes that were mostly old decorations and oddly papers Mokuba was about to give up until he saw a box labeled, " _adoption crap_ ," eerily in Gozoburo's hand writing. A shiver ran down his spine unfortunately, he did not have time to peruse its contents.

"Master Mokuba, Mr. Kaiba has just pulled up to the mansion," Roland called up the stairs.

Rushing down the stairs with the medium sized box in hand Mokuba ran passed Roland, "Thanks Roland, lock it up, and don't say anything!"

Roland sighed happily at the young teen's change of character, and did as he was told. Mokuba ran so fast into his room that he actually broke a sweat, his hair sticking to the back of his neck, and his hands shaking as he held the box for dear life, almost too afraid to open it. Unfortunately, for the first time in Kaiba household history, Seto was home on time which put his prowling on hiatus until further notice.

Seto's mood as he entered the room was difficult to decipher, he wasn't annoyed, but he wasn't thrilled either. The older male walked over to the bed, removed his long black and blue trench coat and sat down. The two brothers sat in awkward silence until Seto finally spoke.

"Okay, what is this wanting a picture about?" Seto began.

Mokuba shifted in his spot, "Like I said, we both have pictures of each other, so why not of mom and dad?" Mokuba proclaimed.

Seto squinted his eyes at his younger brother, " _Mom and dad,"_ he emphasized, "What suddenly brought this up?"

"Nothing!" his voiced raised, "Is it so wrong to want to see the people I came from, even if it is just a photo?"

"In this case, yes," Seto stated bluntly, "I know you better than this, and I know there's something you're not telling me, so save the dramatics and spit it out already."

"You-," he paused, "If I tell you, would you believe me? Mokuba now stared away.

Seto became concerned, yet intrigued at what his brother was holding back, "You've never given me any reason not to," he replied.

"Okay," Mokuba bit his lip over how to properly explain this, "So I recently had a dream about dad, _our dad_ , and we talked a bit, well sorda. At first, I didn't recognize him, he looked so much like you, and then he-oh."

Seto held a hand up, "You. Expect. Me. To believe this cockamamie dream of yours?" Seto questioned mockingly.

Mokuba sighed in defeat, his shoulders sinking as an added sign, "I dreamt of dad, just thought you'd like to know."

"If that's all, we're done here," Seto declared as he stood.

Feeling brave, Mokuba spoke up, "Ya know it wouldn't hurt you to show I don't know, show emotion, and to open your up mind SETO!"

"Hmph, you've read one too many fairy tales in your time. Ghosts don't exist, and they certainly cannot reach us in our sleep."

Mokuba now infuriated at Seto's arrogance went off on a tangent, "Even so, you can't tell me you don't miss them. I mean the way dad's eyes would always beam when he looked at us, his 5 o'clock shadow, and the weird way how he always had his sleeves rolled up," Mokuba laugh a little at his one memory of his father, "Ya know, one of these days you're going to have to stop being so damn arrogant and headstrong!" Mokuba was red in the face, and out of breath as well.

Seto was taken back, not from the tantrum happening before him, but from the realization that that was how their father looked most days, and he had forgotten about it. Of course, his usual stoic expression was left un-phased, he watched as Mokuba ranted on and pulled a box out from under his bed.

Mokuba took two steps toward Seto and chucked the box at his chest, "Here, I found this in the attic, and thought we could look through it _together_ ," he hissed as exited his room.

Seto stood there in silence, lost, and confused. Mokuba never spoke to Seto like that before, and had he been anyone else he'd be picking his teeth up off the floor. In order to clear his head, Seto did what he always did, he went to back to work. In his office, Seto did his best to work on the latest computer module, sadly, to his dismay, the box he brought with him and settled on the couch was now taunting me.

Giving into the provocation from the box, Seto sat beside the box and delved into the wonders it held inside. The first thing to catch his eye was an old teddy bear. The memory of when his mother had bought it for the baby she was carrying came up in his memory, amongst a few others that flooded back. Similar to Mokuba, Seto noticed a few files, and unlike him had the time to examine its contents.

The files were of no importance, they held their health documents, their orphanage information, and adoption papers. Unexpectedly, at the bottom of the box was something that stuck out from the rest of the paperwork. It was grimy with old dust, very disgusting. Nonetheless, Seto wasn't going to let this article go unseen, and was going to make it happen.

With the aid of a paper towel and warm water, the grime was eventually removed. Under the grime revealed a photo – a photo of Seto and Mokuba's family. His mother was wearing a sky-blue sun dress with two doves near the bottom. Her hand held gently on her very apparent bump, and her other the arm wrapped around the man next to her. The man to her right was in black dress pants, navy blue dress shirt, and the sleeves – rolled up.

Seto smiled at how happy his parents looked, he even laughed at how he and his mother were looking at the camera, but his father was fixed on his mother.

"This was taken just a month before Mokuba was born," he finally said with a somber smile.

Seto ran his hand over his mouth as he admired his father, "hehe, I really do look like him," he muttered as he began to cry.

This was the first time in years that Seto allowed himself to really feel something, and broke down. The fierce beatings, and ridicule that Seto was subjected to was nothing compared to pain he felt in his heart. Gozoburo always said that a man who cries is no man at all. Luckily, Gozoburo was long gone now, and Seto reminded himself that his step father was no man compared to his real father. Gozoburo was a monster – a relentless beast bent on the idea of perfection, and power.

Seto cried himself to sleep. Thoughts of how compassionate his parents were filled his head. Feeling vulnerable, Seto held the old distorted photo close, and longed for the advice that only a true parent could offer. Just before he fell asleep, Seto whispered, "I miss you."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven: Mystery revelation

A soft warm breeze blew in through the window, causing the curtains to flow in the air. With the sun shining in a person in a twin sized bed stirred from a combination of the two elements reaching them, prompting them to get up and shut the window closed. Dragging themselves back to bed, they let themselves fall back on the bed.

Taking in a deep breath they pulled the covers tightly around them and stretched. Their feet reached foot board, and out of reflex pulled their feet back. Confused they got out of bed and examined their surroundings. Small bed, desk and chessboard in the corner, and posters of random monster cards cascaded the walls.

"This is my old room," they whispered.

A strange noise brought them out of their thoughts. It was unknown where the noise came from, but standing around wasn't going to do any good. Cautiously, they opened the door to reveal an all too familiar small hallway. It seemed as though the old house was still decorated the same exact way. The hall was painted a creamy light brown, with a few paintings, very typical. At the end of the hall stood an old round dark stained end table with a bouquet of orange lilies on top.

Walking down the few steps to the first floor, they couldn't help saying out loud, "It's all still the same."

The parlor had a green couch and matching love seat. Dark hardwood floors filled the space between the couches and the fireplace. Admiring his childhood home, Seto breathed in what could only be a sigh of nostalgia. However, the moment was short lived when the sound of humming could be heard, and the sudden scent of chocolate chip pancakes filled the air. Walking towards the nearby kitchen the humming became softer.

Seto stood in place. There before him was a woman with dark wavy air, she wore a purple ankle length night gown with lace trimmings. Feeling the eyes of another on her, she turned, flashing the same beautiful smile Seto missed so.

"Hehe, good morning Seto," she beamed.

"Mom," he marveled at how she looked the exact same way.

…

Mokuba locked himself in his studio, it would be the last place Seto would think to look. Screaming at the top of his lungs Mokuba unleashed all the anger and envy he held toward Seto. The young teen had reached his breaking point. In fit of rage, Mokuba kicked over furniture, threw a stool across the room, and went as far as to punch a hole in the wall. What stopped him, was when he picked up his '93 Johnson acoustic. As mad as he was Mokuba could not bring himself to break the guitar, not this one anyway – it was his very first guitar, his favorite, from seto.

Reflecting on the recent damage inflicted by himself, Mokuba became ashamed at his actions and decided to fix things before they worsened. It did not take long for the studio to be cleaned up. The stool that was thrown would need to be replaced, and a handy man would need to come in to fix the hole in the wall, but all that aside it was easy putting the furniture back in place.

Mokuba now sat in the kitchen icing his hand, and thinking over how to patch things up with his brother. Deciding it would be best to apologize to him and properly express his feelings, Mokuba sat there, determined to correct the situation, even though he was still incredibly pissed about what happened.

Taking out his phone to text Seto, Kisara walked in, and stopped mid stride when her eyes landed on the youngster.

"Sweetness, what happened?" she gasped pointing to his hand.

"Oh, it's nothing," he brushed it off.

"Mokuba," she said sounding sterner, "You can tell me anything, c'mon," she coaxed him.

"Sara, it really is nothing, I can handle it," he added, "but there is something I need to talk to you about,"

Kisara sat down next to Mokuba and the talked for a few hours.

…

Seto stood there in disbelief, staring at none other than his mother, but the situation quickly turned bittersweet.

"What's going on here, where's Mokuba?!" Seto being seto turned on the offensive.

At first confused at his outburst, but then laughed at the explanation she was about to provide. Anyone would have thought this whole thing was one crazy nightmare.

Mikoto slowly approached him, "Seto, calm down. Everything is fine, and Mokie is okay," she cooed.

Seto was taken back a bit by her use of Mokuba's childhood nickname, and wasn't going to let his guard down just yet. Turning around, Seto took off toward the front door only to be stopped when the door would not open, and then started pacing to make sense of the current situation.

Holding his head, Seto attempted to convince himself that none this was real, "This isn't real, _you're_ not real, _you're_ dead…" Seto went on a tangent.

Thinking fast the woman embraced the distraught 21-year-old, instantly receiving the reaction she intended for. Seto wrapped his arms around his mother, resting his head on her shoulder, and so thankful for this moment. The dreaded heart wrenching thought of letting go of her crossed his mind, and so he tried to take in as much as he could. Seto breathed her in, the familiar scent of obsession filling his nostrils. Unknowingly, he hugged her tighter.

To his dismay, Seto's mother pushed him away. She ran her hand through his brown hair, and lead him into the kitchen where she made him a plate of the pancakes she made earlier.

"Seto, I know how mystifying this all is, so please listen carefully," she instructed him as she laid the plate down before him.

Seto nodded and listened intently to his mother, "Yes, this is all a dream, however, my being here is 100 percent real – _not_ a concoction of your subconscious," she explained.

"Why are you here then, after all this time?"

"Things are different now, Seto, you are becoming an adult, and there are some matters we would like to address,"

" _We_?" he questioned.

His mother blushed, "Yes, your father and I."

"He's here too?"

"Yes, he is going to give you quite the lecture," she reprimanded.

Seto laughed at the thought of being lectured at his age.

"What is so funny?" she piped up.

"Nothing, nothing, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Seto and his mother talked for hours. The topics ranged from old memories, to not be so serious all the time, and even the subject of Kisara was brought up, and everything in between. Most importantly, Seto was just happy to see his mother, happy and in person I might add.

When it came to the end the last topic was Mokuba. Not so surprisingly, it was Seto who did most of the talking, explaining all he's done with band, how was doing in school, and how some things were really bothering him, but he couldn't figure out what. Mikoto, his mother although thrilled that her youngest had thrived through life with his older brother, was saddened at how she missed _everything_ , in his life.

"Do you think he'll like me? Oooh, how do I talk to him, I don't want to frighten him again?"

Seto stared dumfounded at his mother's question, "No – he'll love you. Mokuba has always loved you, and probably has missed you far more than I have," he answered. "And as for how to talk to him, if he acts anything like me then do exactly what you did with me."

Mikoto, was now tearing, "Thank you, Seto."

Seto smirked back in response and then pondered another question, "Ho- How did you Mokuba's nickname?"

"Even in death, we're still around. You might not be able to see, or hear us, but we see and hear everything, or mostly everything that goes on in your lives. The hardest part is not being able to be there in person with you both," She finished as she stared into her coffee.

Seto sat in silence, trying to understand his mother's words, and then another thought came to him, "So where is dad," he asked trying not to sound excited.

"He's visiting your brother again, or getting ready to,"

"So, he did visit Mokuba?"

"Mhmm," she sounded as she " _drank"_ her coffee.

…

"What no way!" Mokuba shouted in disbelief

Kisara couldn't help, but snort at Mokuba's reaction, "Mokuba, you're very smart, aand if you want my advice there it is. Do that, and I promise everything will work out for the best," she encouraged.

Mokuba stared at her skeptically, "Okay, if you say so."

She gave him a side hug, and hopped off the chair to leave, "Oh, have you seen Seto," she asked.

"Uh, no, I haven't seen him for a while," he mumbled as he looked at the clock above the doorway.

Kisara followed his line of sight, "Okay, if you see him please let him know I was here, and get to bed!" she wagged her finger at him.

"Yes ma'am," he said as he rolled his eyes at her.

Mokuba ran off to his room, brushed his teeth, and hopped into bed. However, he didn't go to sleep before sending a text out.

…

Seto and his mother talked for a little longer. Mikoto reminisced about life with her family before she passed away, and how this conversation was long over do. Unfortunately, the moment they had both been dreading had finally arrive.

Seto squeezed his mother's hand releasing all his concerns onto to her. Thankfully, being a mother, she was able to pick up on this and relieve him of this despair, "Don't worry, this isn't the last time we'll be seeing each other," she reassured him.

Seto looked at her with hopeful eyes, as if asking her, ' _Do you promise?'_ "So, what happens now?" he asked instead.

"Well, you actually have a few more hours of sleep left believe it or not. You'll be placed back into a regular sleep cycle, and eventually wake up," she proclaimed.

Seto sat there in silence, and even as stoic as he was, Mikoto was still his mother and knew him better than anyone, "Don't worry so much," she laughed, "You _will_ remember everything from tonight."

Seto didn't reply, rather he hugged Mikoto, until the 'visit' was over, but not before his mother whispered, "See you soon." And with that Seto faded away and was placed in a duel against someone.

…

The sun shined on his face, and the wind messed his hair. Mokuba pushed his hair in a different way than before, and switched to laying on his side – only to be rocked and startled. The motion felt similar to when you're half asleep and feel as though you're falling. Sitting up, or at least trying to without falling out, Mokuba found himself in a hammock in a moderately sized backyard.

With the recent dreams Mokuba had lately he was not surprised at this, or the fact that he saw someone sitting on the patio setting up a chess set. Seeing it was the same man from a previous dream he nervously approached him. Smirking, the man waited for Mokuba, careful to not do anything rash.

Mokuba stood there eyeing him from head to toe, trying his hardest to pry up any memory of him. Even if could not remember anything specific about him he knew at least one thing…

"Dad?" Mokuba asked with pleading eyes.

The man breathed heavy from suspense, and finally answered, "Yes Mokie, it's me."

The two embraced for the first time in over 10 years. Mokuba was the first to speak, "Dad, dad I want so much for this to be real," he cried.

"My dear boy, it is," he soothed.

Soon after, they sat down where the chess board was set up, and began reconnecting over a game. Mokuba was full of questions, and nearly overwhelmed his father with all of his inquiries. Thankfully, his father wasn't bothered. In fact, the old man actually enjoyed it.

"Who taught you how to play chess, do you like different games? Oh, do you know what monster cards are?"

The old man laughed at his son's excitement, "My grandpa taught me. I enjoy many games as does your mom, and yes they came out right around when you were born."

Mokuba became curious at the mention of his mother, "Mom likes games too?"

Hideki, Mokuba's father snorted, "Yes, she especially loves to scare people, and pull pranks."

Staring at his father in awe at the startling realization, "That woman I chased," he murmured.

His father smirked at his comment, "Yep, that sounds like Mikoto alr-,"

"IS SHE HERE?!" he shouted

Hideki rubbed his ear, "what?"

"Is mom here?"

His father frowned as he explained, "No, this is just for us, but don't fret, you'll be meeting her very soon."

Mokuba sighed in response and moved his knight. The rest of day was spent the same as Seto with their mother, lots of questions and reminiscing.

"So, uh, dad?"

"Yes mokie," he said as he threw out a card.

Mokuba loved hearing his father call him that,"Not that I'm not psyched that you're here, but why exactly did you choose to visit me?"

Hideki sat in silence to find the right words to say, "You see, son. Your brother is focusing on all the wrong things, and your mom and I had to take measures into our own hands before it was too late."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with, and what would happen if this never happened?"

Grinning he spoke, "You're younger than Seto, and with you bringing us up to him will help remind him not to forget what is most precious, or so we hope. And don't bother yourself with the latter – I win."

Mokuba sat there amazed, _just like seto_ , he thought. Thinking over his words, he thought they made sense, but still a little confused by them. Inevitably, the end soon came, they both knew. Getting one last hug in, Mokuba gripped his father's shirt, "This isn't the last time we'll be seeing each other."

Mokuba stared into his eyes for reassurance, but couldn't manage a brave face. So, his dad ruffled his hair, "Hey now, when did you get so tall? Trying to size up your old man, huh?"

This manage to make Mokuba chuckle, "hehe, 10th grade," he said as wiped a tear away.

"See you later," they both said in unison.

A/N: 2 things. 1. Now that schools back, chapters will now come bi-weekly. 2: Please please leave a review, I would really like to know what the readers think of this, and maybe how I can improve. Thanks for reading. ~


	8. Chapter 8

Seto won his duel with his signature move with his blue eyes ultimate dragon, white lightning attack. The crowd screamed for Seto, and watched as he stood there in his triumphant state. Smirking, he made his descent off the podium and made his way toward his office. The duel was at Kaiba Corp. and was only fitting that he goes straight back to work. Walking into his office, he felt the warm sun shine on his face. The sun was so bright that was almost blinding…

…

Seto awoke on the same couch he had laid on the night before, the sun shined in from the window that faced him. This morning was different, far different than other morning. Feeling at peace within himself, Seto knew what had to be done. It may prove to be difficult, but he knew in his heart it had to be done. Quickly gathering all the items that were scattered across the office floor, he didn't even notice someone had entered his office.

"Oh Seto, did you fall asleep at work, _again?"_ Kisara said with a frown.

Picking up the box he rushed out of his office, with his girlfriend trailing close behind him. Kisara tried to gain his attention by calling after him, but it was all in vain. The sole elevator that lead to the top floor arrived without any delay. Kaiba went to walk in, only to be unexpectedly yanked back out, causing all the box's contents to be strewn about the place. Luckily no one else was there to see the current scene take flight.

Seto's eyes were wide with rage, "What the hell is this all about?!"

Kisara gasped out of fear, "Th-the Hoshigaki meeting," she paused, "It's today."

"What, no, it can't be today?" he questioned.

Kisara now frightened didn't know what to do, so, she just stood there, thinking of a way to somehow rectify the situation.

"Reschedule with them for next week," Seto ordered as he went to turn around again with the box of memorabilia.

"You can't reschedule with them again, you'll lose the contract," Kisara reminded him,

Stopping mid-stride, he contemplated what needed to be done, and how to achieve both his goals simultaneously. Thankfully, being the genius, he was, was easy a feat, and he was about to prove himself worthy with all those years of "mentoring" by Gozoburo's hand.

Pondering his final thoughts with a stroke of his chin he spoke, "When is the meeting?"

"10:30," She squeaked.

 _An hour and half,_ he thought, "Damn that doesn't give me much time," he mumbled under his breath.

"What are you going to do?" she quizzed.

"Get all of my executives, and anyone else that is part of the meeting up here NOW! He instructed.

Without skipping a beat, Kisara skid to her desk and immediately started dialing numbers. Within minutes of hanging up from the final call, tech teams and executives showed up as prompted. In Seto's office he explained his plan: he would make an appearance and answer any questions that were meant for him specifically, and would leave the rest to his teams. The executives would handle the details of the contract, while the tech teams explained the mechanics of the new idea. Seto's appearance was merely to show good face for the sake of his company.

…

Mokuba woke up staring at his ceiling, and laughing at his own nervousness. The thought of Seto popped into his head, but that would have to wait until later. Right now, he had his own mission to accomplish. Reaching for his phone, Mokuba texted his bandmates to meet up for another practice session. To his luck, everyone was able to meet up. Now all Mokuba had to do wake make sure that he followed Kisara's advice to a "T".

The girls were the first to arrive, leaving them to wait on Shikaku. Mokuba's heart raced every time he looked at Akiko, which caused him to pray for Shikaku's fast arrival.

"Kiko, tell me about your date, and don't skimp on the details," Mae cooed with excitement.

Akiko laughed, and averted her eyes, "Oh there isn't much to tell, we are going out again next week but, I don't think it is going to work out."

 _Thank you, God_ , Mokuba mentally praised.

"Geeze are guys the only thing you talk about," Shikaku teased as he swaggered on in.

The girls sighed, not dignifying that with a response. Everyone got into place, and commenced playing music. Unfortunately, the session didn't last long. Shikaku was called into work to cover a co-worker's shift, and thus left. Akiko decided to continue singing while Mae continued on drums. Eventually the moment finally came, Mae was gone, and it was just them now.

"So, what's wrong with this guy?" Mokuba questioned trying to sound aloof.

Akiko blushed, "Oh, he's just too different ya know?"

"Uh, different how?

"Mm, it's hard to explain we just didn't click, like I said there's a second chance," she paused, "sooo, yeah."

There was an awkward silence between them. Mokuba was starting to have second thoughts now, and the thought of rejection was looking promising.

…

After explaining his plan, Seto dismissed everyone to the board room while he ran to his private bathroom and quickly freshened up. While showering, Seto mentally thanked himself for having a shower installed in his office. Having worked through so many nights, it was just more convenient than having to travel back and forth from home.

Kisara walked in as Seto stood in a towel, jelling his hair. Holding a change of clothes for Seto, Kisara covered her face with them as she felt herself blushing. Seto smirked at his girlfriend's girlish antics and thanked her. Not caring about not be caught gawking anymore, Kisara took another glance at Seto's abs, "mmm," she subconsciously let out a low moan.

Seto stared at her in a mix of confusion and disbelief, "What was that?"

Shockwaves went down Kisara's spine, as her face went fire engine red, "Nothing, nothing," she insisted, "You better get dressed, everyone will be waiting," she side-stepped the situation as she left the office.

The meeting went almost exactly according to plan. The only fault in his plan was anticipating the length of the it all. The meeting went to break for lunch, and there was still more Seto to go over with Hoshigaki enterprises. Seto stayed until 1:30 p.m. and left as soon as an opportunity opened up.

Seto hustled back to his office to procure the box, with its contents. Making his exit he quickly requested Kisara to cancel anything else for today, and to have Roland to bring the car around. By the time Seto reached the front door, the car was there waiting for him. Jumping into the back seat he tried his best to remain calm. Seto was a ball nerves, and for the first time in his life, was unconfident about what the outcome may lay ahead of him.

…

Mokuba took a deep breath, his heart pounded in his chest, and his face felt hot. Taking a leap of faith, he dove in, "So, you are not, like, official or anything right?"

Akiko stared at him bewildered, "Uuh, no we are def. not official, haha."

Mokuba smirked, "So you'd be open to dating other guys, right?"

Akiko put her hair in a messy bun, "No, it was just one date," she huffed now annoyed.

Mokuba walked up to Akiko, closing the distance between them, "So, would like to maybe get dinner sometime?" he smiled softly.

Akiko's chest heaved with adrenaline, her eyes wide with what could be Mokuba confessing his feelings for her. Laughing nervously Akiko answered, "How about we go get some lunch?"

It was not a yes, but it was better than a rejection, which made Mokuba's heart soar with delight, "Okay," he replied. Mokuba quickly wrote a note in the kitchen, and the two teens left, and quite possibly would return as more than just friends.

…

Seto arrived home a quarter to 3. Not waiting for Roland to get the door, the young man practically leapt out of the car, and ran into lavish mansion. Roland was left wondering what could be so important that his boss would not wait for him to open his door. Curiously, the older man went on to investigating the situation.

Running up the large staircase, Seto called out for his brother only to receive silence as a response.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir," Roland addressed his boss, "Kya, the maid has just informed me that master Mokuba has left for the afternoon with miss Akiko."

"Does she know when he'll be back?" he wasted no time asking.

"His note says, 'be back whenever,' sir."

Disappointed, Seto let out a huge huff, "Thank you, Roland, you may go," he reacted stoically.

Although Seto was disappointed in the fact his brother wasn't home, the upside is that it gave him some time to go over what he would, and how he would say it. Also, he would need to prepare himself for any questions, which he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Mokuba have at least some for him. Unfortunately, this wasn't a test he could study for. This was something you have to play by ear, and hope for the best.

…6:07 p.m…

Mokuba walked into the mansion with solemn smile on his face. Out of immaturity, he decided to keep his mood going by hopping on the floor tiles, alternating feet between hops. Walking into his room, he spotted Seto sitting hunched over with his head hanging low on the foot of his bed, the box he had found resting to his left.

"Seto?" he hesitated, "Everything okay?"

Seto straightened his posture, "Yes, er no, but after tonight they should be," he explained.

"Okay, what's going on?" he asked as he walked over to his bed.

"Things between us," he paused unsure what to say, "Haven't been the greatest, and now I'm going to try and make it up to you," he stated. Mokuba listened.

"Yes, I do miss mom and dad, but you know how I am, admitting to missing them is a sign of weakness," he admitted

"Admitting to missing the people who gave us life, is not weakness Seto," Mokuba reprimanded, "You're not Gozoburo."

"I know that, and that's why things are going to change," Seto spoke as he delved into the box before Mokuba, "Here, I owe you this much."

Mokuba stared in awe at the old photo in his hand. Young Seto was the first person he recognized, and then his father.

"Mom is so beautiful, here," he commented.

"Yeah, she still is," Seto smirked.

" _Still?_ "

Seto now embarrassed, "Yes, I uh, I had a dream – a few dreams with her, and now see that you were right."

Mokuba stood up on his bed, "What, doth my ears deceive me? Did _THE_ Seto Kaiba just admit he was wrong?" He mockingly asked as he did a goofy victory dance on the bed.

Seto laughed at his younger brother and shook his head in humiliation for him, "Yes! You were right. Now come here and look though this with me," he patted the spot next to the box.

Mokuba bounced on his butt, and looked through the rest of the contents with Seto.

"My old bear!" Mokuba cheered, this made Seto smirked.

Mokuba stared at the old bear, and then frowned, "Seto?"

"What's wrong?"

"Why _don't_ you ever talk about mom and dad anymore?" he asked as he stared into Seto's eyes.

He licked his lips, and took a deep breath, "Because I- I don't remember them," he sadly admitted, "You were too young to remember this, but when our aunt and uncle took us in they threw out most of the photos because they didn't want to be bothered with 'clutter,'" he continued, "and when Gozoburo took us in, he instilled the idea that any attachments in life will bring me down."

"So, you don't remember what they were like, or how they acted?"

Seto pondered for a minute, "Well mom was an amazing cook – she made the best pancakes, and she always smelled like baby powder, even if she wasn't wearing perfume."

"and dad?"

Seto laughed, remembering the memory Mokuba had brought up, "he always had his sleeves rolled up, he could fix _anything_ , and a was a wiz at games," he eyes began to water.

"Umm,"

Seto looked up, "Do you think mom loved me?" Mokuba bit his lip.

Taken back from this Seto became serious, "Absolutely, without a doubt," he marveled in the confidence of his statement.

"When she was pregnant with you, she _and_ dad were so excited about you she'd sing all the time to her stomach," he laughed.

The rest of the night was Seto trying to come up with memories, stories, and answers for Mokuba. Mokuba remembered some of their father, but Seto took it upon himself to tell him as much as he could about their mother. Sadly, there was one question that could not be answered, not because it was too difficult to answer, but because Seto truly didn't know –

"How did they both die?..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Revelations come to light

Seto stared at the wall across the room. Thinking about it, brought back all the pain that he had pushed deep down so long ago. His heart ached for two reasons, 1: not being able to properly answer his brother's questions about their parents stung, and 2: the guilt of not remembering, or ever thinking about his birth parents rose inside him like a rough wave that hits the shore.

"Bro?"

Seto continued staring at the wall, "I'm sorry mokie, I don't know how either of them…" he stopped, afraid to finish his thought.

"I remember dad being sad most of the time," Mokuba spoke.

"Yeah, after mom went, depression hit hard with him," seto explained.

"But he always did his best for us," Mokuba reasoned, "He _was_ a single parent after all."

"Mhmm," Sounded seto.

Seto at this point still refused to look at his younger brother, or in his general direction for that matter. There was something he was hiding. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if what he felt was truly real, or not. Deciding to sleep on it, Seto stood to take his leave. Glancing at the digital clock on the night stand he finally spoke, "Wow it is late. Time for you to go to bed," he instructed.

Mokuba scoffed, "It's 10:30 p.m."

"Yes, and you need to sleep," he raised an eyebrow at the 16-year-old.

"Fine," he whined as he rolled his eyes.

As Mokuba changed for bed, Seto made his way towards the door. The door knob turned, the sound of blankets shuffling was heard, and then – "Hey Seto," he called out. Seto turned on his heels, "I'm sorry for what I said last night," Mokuba apologized, "

Seto's tired expression, now turned soft. He stared at the floor then at the teen sitting on his bed, "Don't be, it was the wake-up call that was long over do," he paused as he patted the door frame, "Goodnight Mokuba."

"Night."

Walking into his room, the usually proud Seto Kaiba dragged himself towards his bed. Falling face first, he sprawled out on the large bed, and contemplated everything that had happened in just the last few days. The thoughts that weighed heaviest on his mind included his parents, and not wanting to move from his current position. The sound of his phone vibrating from his back pocket sounded in his ears. Not sure if it was work, or not he reached for it without thinking.

It was a text message from Kisara that read, "The contracts are finished, and the techs are finishing up the final details. Do you want me to come over tonight to go over it with you?"

With the day he had, Seto didn't think twice, "No, tomorrow I'll go over it all."

Kisara replied instantly, "Oh okay, see you tomorrow *heart emoji*,"

Seto didn't respond after that, rather he watched whatever movies were on T.V. To his dismay, T.V was not helping ease his thoughts. There was this nagging thought, possibly a memory that he could not shake for the life of him. However, Seto eventually found sleep.

…

 _Hideki, Seto's father sat in an arm chair with a beer in hand. His eyes were surrounded by deep dark circles. Hideki's hair was greasy, and so matted that his hair stuck to his temples, very evident that he had not been showering regularly, or shaving for that matter. A beard that measured about three inches proved so._

 _Suddenly, Seto finds himself in the front yard with his younger counterpart. Seto watches as his father gets into the car. A young Seto begs him not to go, but is reassured that by his father that he'll be back shortly. The next thing he knows, Seto is at the scene of a car accident. Two cars were hit head on, and it didn't look like one of the drivers made it._

 _"_ _No," He whispered_

 _An officer riffles through a brown leather wallet, and reads the name of the deceased driver out loud, "Hideki Hiyashi."_

 _"_ _NO!" This can't be," he screamed._

 _Running over to the scene, Seto's fears were soon realized. The body of his once vibrant father lay hunched over the steering wheel, bloody, and disfigured. This was no longer a dream, but a real-life nightmare. Seto stepped away to vomit. The sight of his father proved to be overwhelming._

 _Holding himself up from throwing up, Seto abruptly finds himself back at home. A police officer and a priest stood at the front door to receive no answer. A frightened 8-year-old Seto hid under his bed. 21-year-old Seto watched as his younger self wrapped himself in a ball, terrified. Things fast forward to the day of his father's funeral. Closed casket, lots of mourners, and none of them could console young Seto who had his eyes glued on the casket. Seto struggled to catch his breath. This memory was hell wreaking havoc, as he remembered how he thought this was all a trick, and wished for his father to pop out of no-where._

 _There was a lot of chatter amongst adults. It was mostly mentioning's of how young he was, and 'such a tragedy,' this all was. Seto fell to his knees, and clutched his chest. The room began to spin about, and images of his father and his car flashed through his mind._

 _"_ _NOOOO!" Ho-," he gasped, "How did this happen!" he cried out with eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore._

 _"_ _I veered off the road into on-coming traffic and broke my neck on impact," an unexpected voice came from behind him._

 _…_

Mokuba laid sleeping in his bed. Unbeknownst to him, a person stood by, staring lovingly at his sleeping form. The person was filled with overexcitement, and a tinge of fear that held their pacing heart in a vice. Turning onto his back, Mokuba's messy hair fell a bit over his face, and shivered.

Laughing internally, they bent down to fix his hair, only for both of them to be scared half to death. Mokuba felt fingers ever so lightly brush away his hair. Stirring awake, through blurry vision Mokuba was able to make out a somewhat large figure that was very close to him, "Holy -," The figure quickly backed away as Mokuba flailed about, struggling to get up, or away.

"OW, uh, oof," the other person in the room, burst out laughing, "Are you okay?" they asked.

Mokuba picked himself up as he held his chest, "Why is it, that every time someone suddenly appears, I end up getting hurt?"

They went to comfort him, but stopped mid-step from not wanting to startle him even more, even though they desperately yearned so much to do so. Rubbing his eyes, and vision now cleared the young teen stood still, unsure of what to do. Looking around, Mokuba took in his surroundings, "Umm, what's going on?"

The person he asked bounced in place, "I can't believe how tall you are!" they squealed.

The sun was beginning to rise, and light the room. There before him, stood Mokuba's mother. Gasping for breath, Mokuba stared at the beautiful woman that stood before him, and attempted to find the right words to say, "Ma- mom," He finally breathed.

She nodded yes vigorously, as her rose colored lips curled into a colossal smile, "I'm your mom."

Mokuba lost control of his own body as he subconsciously ran to her with open arms. Mokuba ran into her so hard that she lost her footing and they fell on the bed. Both laughing and smiling, they helped each other up.

Mikoto, his mother, cried happy tears as she stared at the son she never had the chance to properly meet. Though she knew exactly who Mokuba was.

Mokuba broke the happy silence, "So umm, where are we exactly?"

Mikoto smiled as she and her son stared at their surroundings, "This was your old room," she explained.

Confused Mokuba asked, "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Hey," she retorted, "I may not had been able to carry you into this room myself, but I did decorate it myself," she answered, "When it was your nursery," she spoke as she touched the lamb decorated wallpaper.

Mokuba just stared at her, 'so this is where Seto gets it,' he thought. After a moment, or two Mokuba felt a bit uncomfortable with his mother's staring. Blushing, he whined, "WHAT?"

"I just can't get over how handsome you are!" She squealed, "I mean, you are so tall, like Seto, and your father too."

"Thanks," he said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Mikoto's smile lessened as she went to go sit on the bed, "So, is there anything you want to talk about?" She inquired, "I've talked to your brother, and I know that there is so much to catch up on, especially about your little girlfriend," she winked.

Mokuba didn't dare stare at his mother. Feeling his ears go hot, blushing deep red, "How – How do you know about that?" he rasped, "And she's not my girlfriend."

Mikoto shook her head, "Oh Mokuba, there's so much to explain," she said.

'I just hope there's enough time,' she thought as looked out the window.

…

 _Seto instantly opened his eyes, not believing what his ears were processing. Turning around he came face to face with him, and gawked in astonishment._

 _"_ _This place is a bit dreary, wouldn't you say?" he spoke sarcastically, "let's have a change of scenery, shall we?" he raised his hand ever so slowly, and were both immediately standing in a green field that had jungle gym and a swing set._

 _"_ _What's going on here?" Seto rasped._

 _The older man standing before him bellowed out a hardy laugh, "Geeze son, I know you didn't recognize your mother at first, but I was sure you'd remember me."_

 _"_ _Son," he repeated with wide eyes._

 _Hideki grinned from ear to ear, his eyes looked glossy, but had sparkle to them, "You've grown to be a great man, Seto I- OOF,"_

 _Seto didn't waste any time. Embracing his father, similar to how he did with mother he wept, "You have no idea how much I have missed you,"_

 _"_ _Not as much as I wished I could have been there for you,"_

 _Pulling back to take in the full sight of him, Seto finally understood what Mokuba meant by his comments. Seto was almost an exact replica of his father: they shared the same eye color, hair color, and facial structure. However, Hideki's skin tone was a little more olive-like, similar to Mokuba's._

Being too large to sit on the swings, both men decided to sit on the grass.

"Do you remember this place?" Hideki broke the silence, "We used to come here all the time," Hideki was careful with his words.

"Mm, I used to sneak out of the orphanage sometimes with Mokuba to come here," Seto commented.

"Seto, while I ha-,"

"Dad," the word weighed heavy on his chest, "I need to ask you something,"

The older man flattened his lips, then pursed them, "Okay, that's why all of this is happening, go ahead."

"Why did you leave that day?!" he blurted out, "We were just kids when everything went to hell!" Seto didn't hold back, "You have no idea what life has been like for us."

Hideki allowed his oldest son to unleash all of his anger onto him. Seto screamed out of anger, and being lost from the reality that he once knew. Hideki, carefully took Seto into a tight embrace, and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, I know that there is nothing that I could do, or say to make up for the time we lost, but I truly am sorry. When your mother died, I lost my soulmate, and I had no way, no one to help me cope with the loss of her. Drinking numbed the pain, and for so long it helped. However, I would run out and the pain would return."

Seto wiped his tears, and sniffled, "So you left so you could medicate?"

"I am ashamed, but yes." He answered, "I never expected that I would die" he paused, "It was a complete freak accident."

Seto gave his father a dirty look, "You were driving under the influence, what did you expect to happen?"

"I deserve that, but I wasn't drunk, honestly," Hideki tried to sound sincere, "Something happened, and the next thing I knew, I was with Mikoto."

Seto was taken back by his father's statement. Although his death was a sad, and gruesome one, it was not a painful. Hideki stressed that, "Yes, my body may have looked too horrible for words, but I did not feel anything, not even when the air bag broke my neck," he explained monotonal.

Seto shot his father a look of disbelief, "How do you know you broke your neck?"

Hideki laughed through his nose, "The funeral home was also a morgue," he informed, "I was there when they read through the results."

Seto processed his father's words, unsure of what to do, what to say, it was all so mystifying as to how to this situation came to light.

"Hey, don't look so down, let's make the most this while we still can," he noted as he reached for his pocket, and pulled out an old-warn deck of cards while waving it back and forth.

Seto smirked in amusement, " _Of course he still has his deck,"_ he thought as they began to play.

"Well while wouldn't I still have my deck?" he questioned, "You _did_ bury me with it after all," he said looking at seto without picking his head up.

Seto went a shade paler than his natural skin tone, and remained silent in embarrassment.

Hideki stared into his adult son's eyes, "Seto, I know we were not physically there for you, however your mother and I never left your side.

" _But, you still didn't do anything to help us,_ " he retorted to himself.

"That is true in some part, we are limited to an extent in both life and in death." He placed a card faced down," Nonetheless, you don't need me to tell you we can't change the past."

"How are you doing that?" he blurted, "I want answers none of this makes sense, you're _dead_ , Mom is _dead_ …." he trailed off.

"What do you want me to answer first, how I can read your mind, or how I'm here?"

"I suppose the mind reading first, and if you don't mind I'd appreciate it if you'd stop," Dream or no dream, this was still his father and Seto knew better than to disrespect the man who gave him life.

"My dear sweet boy, I have so much to teach you."

Seto raised an eyebrow, "I already know how to run a multi-billion-dollar company," he stated bluntly.

Hideki snorted, "Anyway, I can read your mind beca.."

"SETOO!" Mokuba shouted from afar, causing Seto and Hideki to turn their focus towards the two people fast approaching.

"It appears we have company," Hideki announced.

"Mm," Seto now annoyed by the inconvenience.

"Seto!" Mokuba shouted as he ran up to the 2 men sitting on the ground. A moment later Mikoto slowly caught up, and huffed out her words, "Woo, hu, hu, the boy is faster than he looks," she said with her hand on her knees.

Hideki comforted his wife with a kiss, "Okay there, mi-mi?"

Mikoto blushed at his closeness, "Yes just a bit winded?"

"How does that make sense?" everyone turned toward Mokuba, "You're ghosts you can't breathe!"

Hideki and Mikoto looked at each other in thought, then burst out in hysterical laughter, "The boy got us there, dear," Both parents struggled to keep a straight face. After the laughter was all done and over with, things became serious.

"So," Hideki took the lead, "Just before you two arrived Seto asked how I am able to read his mind."

"Yes, and please explain how all of this is possible."

"All in good time," Mikoto shot her husband a peculiar look, sadly he didn't take notice.

"Hmm, where was I," he pondered, "Oh yes, as ghosts, or rather spirits as is the technical term, we are given somewhat of what you might call powers," he paused, "We know what you're thinking, see what you see, and have fun with those still alive."

What do you mean by that last part?" the boys questioned?

The parents gave each other a sinister grin, "What, you think Gozoburo falling out of the mirror was by sheer luck," Mikoto spoke.

The boys became enthralled in their parent's stories, "We saw an opening when you shot at his office window, and did what we could," Hideki finished.

Their son's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their heads. That was the day their entire lives turned around for the better, and they never questioned how it happened, just accepted it and moved on.

"Now on to your next question, how is this all happening, well –"

"WAIT!" Mokuba jumped up, and quickly apologized for his behavior, "My entire life I went knowing how dad died and a few things about him that I can remember, but now I really need to know," he looked his mother with pleading eyes, "How did you die?"

"I knew I would have to answer this sooner, or later," she took a deep breath, "I just wish I didn't have to."

"Come now dear, Seto knows how I went, I'll inform Mokie later, so no its your turn." He winked.

Mikoto nodded and sat before her son's, "When I went into labor with you, it was much more difficult than it was with Seto," she hesitated, "and being so much longer too, I became exhausted, but what killed me was not the exhaustion, but a blood-clot that traveled from my leg to my heart," Mikoto was afraid to continue, but decided to do so, she owed Mokuba this much, "I was so excited to a be a mother again," she smiled.

Mokuba began to weep, "I'm sorry mom,"

Mikoto was so shocked she grabbed her son by his face to make him look at her, "My baby, you have nothing to be sorry for, it was a freak accident."

"Yeah," *sniffle, "Bu-but," sniffle, "if I was never born you would still be alive with dad, and Seto."

"Don't be foolish kid!" Seto interrupted, "Death, or no death you'd still be here,"

Mikoto kissed Mokuba's nose, "He's right, your father and I wanted you more than anything, you were the final piece to our family," she continued, "I knew you for 9 months, and wouldn't have given those months up for anything."

Mokuba laughed at his mom's weird humor, and felt reassured of himself.

Hideki wrapped an arm around Mokuba's shoulder, "I'm so glad that you two finally have some light on these dark subjects," he looked around," Sorry boys, but our time is up for now."

Seto suddenly became lost in his emotions, "What, no this can't be!" he begged, "You have to stay."

Mikoto and Hideki joined hands, "Don't worry kids, we'll be back here soon," Mikoto sang, "Until next time…."

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reading and especially patiently waiting. College has been keeping me busy, and I really wanted this chapter to be perfect. These kinds of questions have always bothered about their parents and I hope that I have shed some light for those who have also wondered. **There will probably be 2 or 3 more chapters** , so they will be long like this one, and thusly will take longer to work on. Thank you for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving :D


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Makes and breaks

The young Kaiba brothers awoke in their respected rooms. Both feeling emotionally drained, it would take Seto and Mokuba a few extra minutes to peel themselves out of bed. Thankfully, a hot shower did the trick for Mokuba, but as for Seto – the images of his father's tragic death lingered with reoccurring flashbacks as he dressed himself for work. Finishing his tie, his younger brother bum-rushed into his room, and began a rather dower conversation, "So that was something," Mokuba broke the awkward silence, "right?" he asked unsure of what reaction he'd be met with.

Seto didn't take his attention off of his reflection in the mirror, "I have no idea what that was," he rasped.

Mokuba sat on the bed dumfounded, "You seriously cannot be telling me you don't believe what just happened?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore," he still refused to look, let alone make eye contact with the teen, "I have to get to work, we'll talk more later."

"Okay," he sighed as Seto walked by him and out the door.

Once Seto was gone, Mokuba made his way towards the dining room for an omelet with the works. Back in his room, the young teen lay on his bed in deep thought. Feeling bored and nostalgic, Mokuba pulled out the box of 'memorabilia,' and found what he was looking for – the old family photo. Laughing at how his _now_ rough and tough brother looked so cute with his round cherub-like face, Mokuba decided to frame it, and placed it on his night stand.

Smiling at his mother's warm grin, he was suddenly filled with inspiration. Scrambling for a pen and paper, Mokuba excitedly scribbled down some lyrics. Filled with joy from his work, the young man made a poor attempt at a cartwheel and fell backwards, landing on his bed.

Following the commotion, the intercom buzzed in, "Master Mokuba, what are you doing, are you okay?"

Flipping onto his stomach, Mokuba reached to reply, "Yes Kya, just messing around."

"Don't break anything!" she screeched.

Holding his ear, he simply laughed and then propped himself up on his behind. Stretching an arm for his phone to text Seto, his phone coincidentally received a text:

 **Group Text:**

 **Akiko:** **Emergency Band Meeting!**

…

In his office, the morning seemed to drag on for the renowned Seto Kaiba. Even though it was a standard day with meetings, clients, and last-minute test runs – it was nothing, but a very long day. Stuck in his office with mountains upon mountains of paperwork, Seto began to zone out and became lost in deep thought. Also feeling sentimental about his parents, the prosperous C.E.O. decided to search online his childhood home. Not remembering the exact address proved to be a bit difficult, so he had to go based off of the area, and what little he _could_ remember.

Narita, Seto stumbled upon something familiar, and after an hour, "Found it!" he voiced.

Not wasting anymore time, Seto quickly grabbed a pen, jotted down the address, and took his leave without any notice. It was 3 in the afternoon, and Narita was about an hour away from Domino by car. Although it was beginning of rush hour traffic, the drive was an easy feat with little traffic. Everything appeared to be so different from Domino. The houses were spread further apart, flowers more vibrant, the atmosphere as a whole was calming in a sense all in its own.

Turning a corner into the now calming residential area, lost memories, and feeling came flooding back. Convinced he wouldn't be recognized by any neighbors, or bystanders, Seto decided to walk the rest of the way. Making his way down the street, Seto felt strange, he could not pin point it – it was an odd feeling starting in his feet, rising and grabbing hold of his chest. Eventually, Seto understood his feelings of angst and excitement as he approached the old playground he and Mokuba used to play at, all those years ago.

Just the sight of it all was a bit overwhelming. It was obvious the entire jungle gym had been redone at some point, however, it all looked – rather, felt the same. A few kids ran by, racing towards the swings, causing Seto to reminisce of when he and mokie would do the same.

With not much else to do, or see Seto took his leave, and returned to his trip down memory lane. Deciding it was best to not visit the orphanage, as it would cause a frenzy with a high-profile celebrity making an abrupt appearance, Seto headed in the opposite direction. Wondering up the street, things became somewhat confusing, "Has it really been that long that I've forgotten the way home?" he questioned himself.

…

Back at the mansion, Mokuba became surprised at the text, and texted back. Unfortunately, Akiko refused to say anything, except that everyone had to meet up – **TODAY**. Surprisingly, Shikaku was the first to arrive and even took the initiative to spark up a conversation, usually it was Mae, or Akiko.

"Sooo, any idea what this is all about?"

Mokuba shrugged, "None."

Sitting on the couch with his arms hanging over the back, Shikaku let his head fall back and thought for a few minutes, "hey," he said without picking his head up.

"What's up?" Mokuba furrowed his brow.

"Maybe she's leaving the band," he paused while looking at the ceiling, "did she ever say how her second date went with that guy?"

Mokuba flinched, and went 3 shades pale at the thought. _"I thought we were about to start something together."_ He thought to himself.

Trying to remain cool he replied, "Nah."

Shikaku smirked at his change in attitude, "Hmm, wonder what it could be."

Just as Shikaku finished his thought, both girls slid into the parlor, Akiko looking like a hot mess: hair in disarray resembling a birds nest, no make-up, and still in sweats to boot. Both boys looked at each other, then back at the girls, back at each other and burst into a fir of hysterics.

Akiko stood there with her hands on her hips, and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah I know I look like hell, but-"

"Wait, wait," Shikaku chimed in, in between laughs, "Tell us about your date."

Mokuba's heart leapt as he gave his bassist a deadly glare, who apparently didn't take notice, or rather just not cared.

"Huh," now it was Akiko's turn to be bewildered.

Mae shared a look with Shikaku, and quickly caught on, and played along, "Yeah, as the best friend I demand to know what happened, on _both_ dates."

Akiko scrunched her face, "I told you, it wasn't anything special," she whined.

"Yeah, but like give details, why was this date such a bust?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes at the gossip, "I'm going to get some air," he announced. Now irritated, Mokuba made his way past Akiko, not daring to look her in the eye, but not before being stopped.

"Wait!" she shouted.

"I don't care about your stupid date – come get me when you're done," he continued not looking at her.

Akiko held her grip, "Okay one, it _wasn't_ a date, an-"

"Call it whatever you-"

"We have an audition at Warner Bro. Records!" Akiko couldn't hold her excitement any longer.

Everyone's eyes appeared as though they were about to pop out of their heads. Speechless, everyone held their breath, afraid to believe what they have just heard.

"What did you just say?" Mokuba broke the silence.

Akiko took a deep breath, "We. Have. An Audition. With Warner Bro. Records," she spoke confidently.

"Whoa, hold up, when, or how did you work this out?" Shikaku asked.

"Like I said, it was not really a date, per-say," she continued, "That day I came here all dressed up I was with an associate, or rather a scout you can call him. I showed him some of our music, and he was actually impressed."

Listening to all the questions, Mokuba felt somewhat relieved at the new, but at the same time felt a tinge of guilt towards Akiko who explained how the audition was in a week, could not be missed for anything, or rescheduled! The idea of only having to play 3 songs was easy – figuring out which ones to play was the difficult part.

…

While the Kaiba brothers were busy with their own adventures, Kisara stood outside a restaurant, waiting for Seto. It had been a while since they had a date night that did not include any mentioning of the word, 'work,' or stress, but included a little stress relief. Kisara reminded Seto about tonight, but him being so busy, left her being unsure if he really heard her. However, after about an hour, her optimism began to fade.

…

Finding it was taking too long to find his childhood home, Seto turned around to return to his car. Driving down one of the side streets, one particular house caught his eye. The house was boarded up, except for one window, with a notice that read, 'winterized.' With nothing to lose, Seto took it upon himself to take a look. Peering inside, it was evident that the house had been vacant for quite some time. Seto investigated further, the number for the address was missing, and there was no visible mark if it ever existed anywhere, so he had to go based off of the surrounding homes.

"862,864,868," he read out loud, "So this must be 866," he determined.

This was it! This was his house, and all he wanted was to walk inside. Just as Seto reached for the doorknob, his phone rang. Annoyed, Seto begrudgingly answered his phone in a huff, "What?" he barked.

"Seto?" a small voice was heard on the other end, "I've been waiting for a while now – did something happen at the office?"

Cognizant of his poor memory, Seto became flushed as he realized he had broken another date with his girlfriend – again.

"Kisara!" he had to refrain from his mixed emotions toiling inside him, "wait, where are you, I'm on my way."

There was a sigh on the other side, "Don't worry about it sweetness," her tone was melancholy, "I'll see you tomorrow at work."

*CLICK*

"Damnit!" Seto cursed under his breath. Conflicted with what to do, Seto quickly wrote the address down in his phone, and sprinted towards his car. Racing back into Domino, Seto tried calling Kisara only for it to go to voice mail each time. Kisara's shift ended at 4 today, and it was nearing 6 pm. Doubting she'd go out with friends on a weekday, there were 2 places left: the mansion and her apartment.

Angry at himself, thinking things could not get any worse, Seto decided to go home and just let things blow over, and make up for tonight – tomorrow at work. Walking into mansion, Seto was met with the loud shout of the Polymerization members, debating over song ideas.

"Forget it," Mokuba took charge, "We've been going at this all day, and it's obvious that we're not going to make a concise decision," he continued, "We'll pick this up tomorrow."

Everyone else agreed with their band leader's idea and exited the mansion promptly. Mokuba stretched his arms out in frustration, and turned to see his older brother leaning up against the doorway, "Long day?"

"You have no idea," there was a pause, "Uh never mind."

Seto smiled, "Don't stress it kid."

"K."

Swaggering on over to the sofa he asked, "So what _was_ that really about?"

Mokuba sat down and rubbed the back of his neck, "We have a chance to sign with a really huge record label," He looked at Seto for a reaction.

Seto's face resembled the band member's faces from earlier that day, "That's amazing, you nervous?"

"That's an understatement," he snorted, "More like scared shitless."

Seto smiled, "Well don't be, you've been working hard for this."

"Thanks," they shook hands, "So how was your day?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Mokuba face-palmed then looked at his brother, "Says the guy who didn't believe our _dead_ parents visited us in our dreams," he sassed

"Touché."

"Anyway, what happened today?"

"I found our old house from years ago."

"Whoa, seriously, how?"

"I was bored at work, found the general area, and the rest I did on foot."

"How's the old place look?"

"The outside – old."

"And the inside?"

"Don't know, Kisara called before I could try the door."

"Wait I'm confused."

"I forgot we had a date tonight, and it was getting late anyway so I left."

"You can't keep doing this ya know."

"It's okay we'll work it out tomorrow."

Mokuba gave Seto a concerned look but didn't press it. This was Seto's problem, and if he had to fall on his face in order to learn then so be it. The brothers talked until it was time for bed. They both wished their parents were there with them, and wondered what they meant when they said what happened to Gozoburo. Though, none of this mattered. Their parents informed them that everything would be explained, and so they had no other choice, but to wait until then.

…

It started the same way it had the previous nights. Seto was in a deep when his dream changed scenery, and he found himself back at his childhood home in his old room. Knowing what was now happening, Seto followed the smell of strong coffee and discovered his father in the kitchen.

"Rough day, son?" Hideki questioned.

"Is that a trick question?" Seto retorted as he joined the older man at the table.

Hideki smiled and laughed through his nose, "Don't get too comfortable, we're going for a walk."

Not understanding why, Seto eyed his father, but with everything else that's happened – just went with it and followed him. Out the front door, both men walked down the street with no particular destination in mind. After a minute of walking, Hideki spoke up, "I know your mother and I said we'd explain some things to you, but there is something that as a father I need to address."

Seto didn't respond.

"Your girlfriend, Kisara, she's quite beautiful," Seto's heart picked up at the mentioning of her name.

"But that's not why I brought her up," he paused, "She's been with you for how long?"

"Almost 5 years."

Hideki whistled, "I married your mom after a year and half, what's keepin-"

"Dad," Seto felt weird saying it, "I think you're getting a bit off track here."

"Ah yes I am. Anyway, you've been together for so long that you barely acknowledge her anymore."

"I see her every day."

"Yes, but as an employee – at the office," he pointed out, "When was the last time you two went out on a date?"

Seto hung his head down.

"Don't take advantage of her Seto," Hideki placed his hand on Seto's shoulders, "She's been patient with you, and put up with you a lot."

"What do I do?"

"Go make up with her, don't take no for an answer, apologize and start putting in some effort on your side of this relationship. Do it before it's too late."

Seto looked into his father's eyes for reassurance. The same deep blue eyes stared back into Seto's with the confidence he needed to accomplish this. Looking to his left Hideki saw they've returned back at home, "Remember, if she's worth it, you'll do anything to keep her."

"Thanks dad," Seto shook his hand until things faded and he was placed back into a dream cycle.

…The Next Morning…

The next morning was different. Seto was determined to make things right with Kisara, and he knew what had to be done, and could not waste any time. A hot shower, quick breakfast, and out the door speeding towards work. Stepping in his office, Seto felt confident in himself for what he was about to say. Unfortunately, he was met with Claire.

"What do you mean she's not here?!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba, but she called me last night asking if we could switch for today." She explained.

"Damnit, put everything off until tomorrow," Seto turned so fast that he didn't hear his receptionist reply, 'yes, sir.'

"Kisara open up, I know you're home," Seto chose the apartment and chose correctly.

There was a moment of silence, and the sound of the chain bolt sliding off was heard, and the door opened, "Hi, Seto."

"May I come in, please?"

"I don't think so," she stared at him blankly.

"Let me explain, the last fe-"

Kisara held up a hand, "Seto stop," her eyes began to fill with tears, "I have been very patient with you – for years, but I don't think this is working out."

"Kisara, please let me in so we can talk." Seto pleaded.

"There's nothing to talk about, _I have_ \- "

"Then let me do all the talking."

Kisara shook her head, rolled her eyes, and gestured him in. Seto sat on the couch and began, "Yes, I know I have been neglecting you and you _have_ been very patient with," he paused, "But – Kisara, I love you, and I don't want to lose you."

She stood up to walk towards the door, but Seto grabbed her hand, "One, just give me one more chance to make it up to you, and I promise it'll be worth it."

"How are you going to make it up to me, Seto?"

"You'll have to trust me," he squeezed her hands.

Kisara sighed, and licked her lips, "Fine," she held up her index finger, "One last chance."

Seto kissed Kisara and quickly left to go back to work. At the office Seto worked with Claire so that he could have the perfect date. However, his schedule wouldn't be open for a week, but it would a day without any work obligations – so it would be worth it.

…Le Following Week…

It was the following week, a Friday. The week seemed to drag on for both Seto and Mokuba. Mokuba had his audition in the afternoon, and Seto had his date that evening. Mokuba was working on the final touches before the band left. All the equipment was packed the night before, so it was just double checking to see if they had all they'd need and making sure all members looked presentable. Polymerization was so nervous about making a good impression that they all dressed in business attire!

…1pm…

The band was all set up and ready to play – almost. Mokuba was breathing really heavy and appeared to be close to having a panic attack. Thankfully, Akiko knew what to do, "Moke," she whispered, "Don't freak out, just think of it as any other show we've done."

Helpful words, but this was different than any other show they've done. This audition included executives and people who could change their future. Pass or fail, this could make or break them. Mokuba nodded and smiled. Together everyone stepped out, introduced themselves, and began to play for 15 nerve wracking minutes. As a whole they played phenomenally with the exception of Mokuba who messed a few notes, but caught up, and stay in rhythm and tempo.

"Thank you – uh Polymerization, you'll hear from someone by Monday," Said a woman through her clipboard.

Quickly gathering their belongings, the teens whispered words of encouragement to each other and collectively flooded out of the studio as fast as they had arrived.

…

Hours later Seto was preparing for his date. Black suit and tie, jelled hair, and pink roses with baby's breath. He could feel his palms sweat as he neared her apartment. Kisara, although skeptical of Seto's efforts was not going to hold back. She went all out, just show Seto what he's losing IF he screws up. A body hugging black cocktail dress, lace stilettos, and hair in beach waves.

"You look stunning," Seto complimented.

"How kind of you to notice," she winked.

Seto handed her the bouquet of flowers and led her to the car by the arm. Having planned the entire night Seto hoped it would be enough to make it all up to Kisara, but more importantly have her forgive him. The Russian tea room was beautiful from the red leather booths to the wall to wall portraits. The night was filled with deep conversation, flirting, and of course lovely food.

Hours later, Kisara and Seto laid together in his bed, just admiring each other. Kisara forgave Seto for efforts and was thankful for dessert.

"So next week I was thinking we could, hmm what?"

"Seto, I don't need to be wined and dined all the time," she continued, "I just want you give me the respect and recognition I deserve."

He leaned in for a kiss, "I can do that."

A/N: I hope you all have been enjoying the story so far. i'm not sure if I like how I ended this chapter, so stayed tuned for some possible updates. As always please leave an honest comment of your thoughts. Again, thank you for reading :D


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